Reinforcing waist band structure



April 21 1964 J. R. wEEMHoFF REINFORCING WAIST BAND STRUCTURE Filed June20, 1961 1N VENTOR.

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United States Patent Otice 3,129,434 Patented Apta 2l 1 964 3,129,434REENFORCING WAiST BAND STRUCTURE Jay Richard Weemhoif, Ridgewood, NJ.,assigner to Collins d: Aikman Corporation, New York, NSY., a corporationof New York Filed June 2G, 196i, Ser. No. 118,288 1 Claim. (Ci. 2-236)This invention relates to waist band structures. More particularly, thisinvention relates to structures adapted to reinforce and supportconventional waist band construction and to a method of producing suchstructures.

Ordinarily, the waist bands of trousers and similar garments are formedby turning over the upper end of the material of the garment inwardlyand stitching to the inside thereof a relatively more stiff band ofcloth lining material. However, after the garment has receivedsubstantial use and wear, there is a great tendency for the waist bandthereof to become distorted and to roll over or to flare outwardly atthe upper edge thereof. This undesirable tendency of ordinary waist bandconstruction has remained a signicant disadvantage of the garmentmanufacturing industry notwithstanding numerous attempts to overcome theaforesaid tendency of such waist band construction to are outwardlyafter some use.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a novel waistband construction for garments whereby the waist bands thereof remainrelatively sti and undistorted throughout the life of the garment.

It is another object of this invention to provide waist band reinforcingmeans for garments and a method for producing the same, whereby thewaist bands of said garments are maintained close to and flat againstthe body of the wearer.

It is another object of this invention to provide waist band reinforcingmeans for garments which may be easily produced and applied to saidgarments with minimum effort and expense.

Other objects and attendant advantages ofthe invention will appearhereinafter and in the drawings wherein:

FIG. l is a view in perspective illustrating one method of producing awaist band reinforcing structure as provided in accordance with thisinvention;

FIG. 2 is a View in perspective illustrating the manner of producing amodification of the reinforcing waist band structure;

FIG. 3 is another view in perspective showing a similar method ofproducing another modication of the reinforcing waist band structure;

FIG. 4 is a View in perspective showing a similar g method of producingstill another modification of the reinforcing waist band structure asprovided in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a reinforcing waist band structureFIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a modification of the reinforcingwaist band structure produced as illustrated in FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of another modification of thereinforcing waist band structure produced as illustrated in FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional View of still another modification of thereinforcing waist band structure produced as illustrated in FIG. 4;

FIG. 9 is an elevational view of the inside of a waist band constructionas provided in accordance with this invention;

FIG. l0 is a cross-sectional View of the waist band construction takenas indicated by the lines and arrows X-X of FIG. 9;

as produced by the method illustrated in FIG. 11 is a cross-sectionalview of a modified waist band construction as provided in accordancewith this invention;

FIG. l2 is a cross-sectional view of another modification of the waistband construction as provided in accordance with this invention; and

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of still another modification of thewaist band construction as provided in accordance with this invention.

The following description is directed to the specilic forms andembodiments of the invention illustrated in the drawings and is notintended to limit the scope of the invention itself which may bepracticed in a Wide variety of forms and arrangements.

Adverting herewith to the specific forms of the invention illustrated inthe drawings, a waist band reinforcing element, various modifications ofwhich are shown in FIGS. 5-8, comprises a band or ribbon ofthermo-setting material, such as nylon or the like, in which has beenformed suitable folds or curves which tend to cause the aforesaid bandto assume a shape resulting in a generally concave surface on one sideof the band and a generally convex surface on the other side thereof. InFIG. 5 is shown a band iti of thermo-setting material having upper andlower edges 1i and l2, a dual planar convex side including the surfaces13 and i4 and a corresponding opposed dual planar concave side includingthe surfaces 15 and f6. As may be'clearly seen in FIG. 5, the band 1i)of thermo-setting material is provided with a crease i7 midway betweenthe ends li and i2 of the band.

in' FiG. 6, a modification of the invention is illustrated in which aband 2i) of thermo-setting material having upper edge 21 and lower edge22 has been formed with permanent creases 23 and 24 therein spacedequidistantly from the upper and lower edges 21 and 22 respectively;Band 2i? comprises a generally convex multiplanar side including thesurfaces 25, 26 and 27 and a generally concave rnultiplanar sideincluding the surfaces 28, 29 and 30;

FiG. 7 illustrates a modification of the waist band reinforcing elementas provided in accordance with this invention and comprises a band 31 ofthermo-setting material having lateral edges 35 and 36 and a triple setof creases 37, 38 and 39 formed therein and having a generally convexside with surfaces 4i?, 41, 42 and 43 and a generally concave sidehaving surfaces 44, 45, 46 and 47.

in FIG. 8 may be seen still another modication of the reinforcing waistband structure as provided in accordance with this invention in which aband 4S of thermo-setting materialhaving lateral edges Si) and 51 isformed without creases but has a convex surface 52 on one side thereofand a concave surface 53 on the opposite side thereof. Y

FIG. l illustrates one manner of producing the waist band structure Vltiillustrated in FIG. 5 in which the band has been folded so that thesurface`15 lies adjacent the surface 16 and the surface 14 lies adjacenta table top 55 beneath which there is positioned a'roller 56. The roller56 is positioned within a space 58 in the table surface 55 so that itpresses against a second roller 59 positioned above the table surface55. Between the rollers 56 and 59 is passed the band it) ofthermo-setting material folded so that the lateral edges il and 12contact each other and lie in the same plane and so that the crease 17is formed in the material by the aforesaid rollers. Thereafter, the band1t? is passed beneath a heating element o?. which supplies heat forheat-setting the folded band, after which, the band is removed from theapparatus and allowed to cool with the consequent formation of apermanent crease i7 therein and a permanent tendency for the edges iiand 12 to come together.

FIG. 2 illustrates one manner of forming the band 2t) illustrated inFIG. 6. The band 20 is folded twice to form creases 23 and 24 thereinand arranged so that the lateral edge 21 lies adjacent the crease 24 andin the same plane therewith. The band 20 is guided along the surface ofa table top 55a and between a pair of rollers 56a and 59a whereby thecreases 23 and 24 are formed in the band. As may be seen in FIG. 2,roller 56a is positioned within an opening 58a in the table surface 55aand the roller 59a is disposed above the surface of the table 55a. Afterthe creases 23 and 24 have been formed in the band, the band is passedbetween the table surface 55a and a heating element 62a whereby thethermo-setting material is heat-set, after which it is allowed to coolwith the consequent formation of permanent creases 23 and 24 therein anda permanent tendency for the band to assume the folded arrangement shownin FIG. 2.

FIG. 3 illustrates one manner of forming the band 31 illustrated in FIG.7 in which the band of thermo-setting material has been folded threetimes to form the three creases 37, 38 and 39 and arranged so that thecreases 37 and 39 lie adjacent each other and in the same plane. 'Ihefolded band of thermo-setting material is passed along a table top 55bbetween a lower roller 56h positioned in an opening Sb beneath a tabletop 55h and a contact roller 59h positioned above the surface of thetable top. After formation of the creases 37, 3% and 39 by the rollers56h and 5911, the material passes between the surface 55h of the tableand a heating element 6222, whereby the band 31 is heat-set to formpermanent creases 37, 38 and 39 and to establish the tendency of theband to assume the folded arrangement shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 4 illustrates one manner of producing the reinforcing band 48 shownin FIG. 8 in which the aforesaid band is applied to an outwardly convexmold 55e and arranged to pass beneath an inwardly concave roller 59C andsubsequently beneath a heat-setting element 62C by means of which thecurve formed in the band 48 is permanently set thereby producing a bandhaving a convex side and a concave side and one which a tendency ispermanently established to assume the aforesaid shape.

FIG. 9 illustrates a typical waist band construction as provided inaccordance with this invention in which the outer cloth 70 of a waistband having inwardly turned edges 71 and 72 is stitched to a garment 73and to the inner cloth or lining 74 of the waistband, said inner clothhaving inwardly turned ends 75 and 76. To the inside of the waist bandadjacent the inner cloth or lining 74 thereof, is stitched thereinforcing waist band structure so that the generally convex sidecomprising the surfaces 13 l and 14 face against the inner cloth orlining 74 of the waist band and so that the concave side comprisingsurfaces 15 and 16 face away from the inner cloth or lining 74 towardthe body of the wearer. The dot and dash lines of FIG. 10 show theposition which the band 10 naturally tends to assume owing to theheat-setting process to which the aforesaid band has been subjected andillustrates the manner in which the band 10 tends to pull the waist bandgenerally inward toward the body of the wearer.

FIG. l1 illustrates the application of the reinforcing band 20 to thewaist band of FIG. 9 and the dot and dash lines thereof indicate theposition which the reinforcing structure 20 tends normally to assume,thereby tending to pull the waist band inwardly toward the body of thewearer.

FIG. l2 illustrates the application of the band 31 to the waist band ofFIG. 9 and the dot and dash lines thereof indicate the position whichthe band 31 tends normally to assume, thereby pulling the waist bandgenerally inward toward the body of the wearer.

And finally, FIG. 13 illustrates the application of the band 4S to thewaist band of FIG. 9, the dot and dash lines thereof indicating theposition which the band 48 tends normally to assume, similarly pullingthe Waist band generally inwardly toward the body of the wearer.

In each of the aforedescribed modifications of the invention, thereinforcing waist band structure is stitched to the inward side of thewaist band so that the side of the structure which would normally begenerally concave faces the body of the wearer.

It will be apparent that it is an important advantage of the waist bandconstruction as provided in accordance with this invention that thewaist bands of garments so constructed have a generally normal tendencyto turn inwardly toward the body of the wearer and not to becomedistorted and to flare outwardly of the body of the wearer as isnormally the case.

It will be apparent too that it is an important advantage of thereinforcing waist band structure as provided in accordance with theinvention, that by means of the heatset thermo-setting reinforcingmaterial, the waist bands of garments are thereby permanently providedwith an inwardly turning tendency which endures for the life of thegarment.

Aithough this invention has been described with reference to specificforms and embodiments thereof, it will be evident that a great number ofvariations may be made without departing from the spirit and the scopeof this invention. For example, parts may be reversed, equivalentelernents may be substituted for those specifically disclosed, andcertain features of the invention may be used independently of otherfeatures, all without departing from the spirit and scope of thisinvention as defined in the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

In a waist band construction including an outer fabric and an innerfabric secured to one another, a reinforcing waist band structurecomprising an elongated flexible band of thermosetting material securedto the inward side of said inner fabric at opposite lateral edgesthereof, said band of thermosetting material having a relaxedpermanently set generally concave configuration and said con.- cavesurface facing inwardly of said garment, whereby upon being distortedfrom said concave configuration said band of thermosetting materialtends to turn said opposite lateral edges of said inner fabric inwardly.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,494,142 Stein May 13, 1924 1,762,284 Thomas et al June 10, 19302,121,836 Steinberger June 28, 1938 2,601,036 Liebowitz June 17, 19522,864,093 Sumner et al Dec. 16, 1958

